A typical base rail includes an upper portion that is coupled to an inner surface of the sidewalls of the trailer and extends substantially along a length of the trailer. During normal use of the trailer, during loading and unloading of cargo, for example, the base rail may become damaged due to normal wear and tear. For example, the wheels of lift trucks that are driven into the storage container portion of a trailer may damage the base rail of the trailer due to abrasion of the wheels against the base rail. The lift truck wheels typically include a hard, steel portion that may impact and abrade the base rail which is typically extruded from a softer metal such as aluminum. The base rail provides structural support to the trailer and continued damage to the base rail may result in failure of base rail and possibly to the accompanying sidewall of the trailer.
Steel bumper rail covers have been provided in an attempt to cover and protect the upper portion of the base rail from the aforementioned damage. Such bumper rail covers are fabricated to cover the entire height of the upper portion of the base rail such that no portion of the base rail above the floor assembly is exposed. While such covers may operate to protect the base rail from damage, such bumper rail covers can be costly and heavy and may not be desirable for these reasons.